Day Six
Monday, July 12, 10:18 a.m. One of my early video game
experiences was with Star Fox 64, which was
the most popular game in the Star Fox series (based on sales). I
remember playing the demo on a Nintendo 64 console in
Sears (think: mid-to-late 90s), and then later playing it frequently on
our own N64 console in the early 2000s. Later on, we found a used Star
Fox cartridge for SNES,
bought it, and loved it.
I like video games as much as the next person (well, maybe a little
less), but my real interest with them is the interaction between game
play and music. In that respect, I can't get enough of the Star Fox,
Star Fox 2 (I
have the final beta and patch of which for an emulator - it was never
released to the public, and many of its features made their way into
Star Fox 64), and Star Fox 64 musical scores. The themes from Star Fox
and Star Fox 64 have been reused more times than I can count,* and rank
with Super
Mario Bros. as memorable video game themes.
How does this relate to my iPad,
Pismo, and MiFi?
The fact that I can't transfer a really cool Star Fox Corneria remix
MP3 from my Pismo to my iPad is one way. The fact that the iPad can't
(yet, at least) play MIDI files is another. You'll
need an Intel-based Macintosh or PC to sync your iPad, which is a stab
in the back for anyone whose main Mac was made between, oh, the mid 90s
and 2005. Sad, but true. I just hope Apple makes up its mind about CPUs
someday (and I wouldn't mind if they choose ARM as their unified
architecture).
Anyway, off to NASA!
Day Seven
Tuesday, July 13, 9:49 a.m. We were at NASA all day on
Monday. Most of it was pretty boring, except for the tram tour (we
picked the blue tour) and a few of the more serious Mercury, Gemini,
and Apollo exhibits. I personally hope Mr. President doesn't mess up my
plans of retiring to the moon in 2050 - what with his recent meddling
with the future of manned space flight and all.
Well, we're heading back towards Arkansas. We're going to visit the
Prairie
Grove Battleground and the Crater of Diamonds on
our way back to Iowa, but probably not today.
Today marks the fifth day the iPad has gone without a problem, so
(big jinx here - if this doesn't do it, nothing will) I'll assume that
the problem has disappeared for good.
I'm looking forward to getting home for multiple reasons. For one,
my fingers are itching to get back to my PowerBook 180 - I just love that old
keyboard! For two, my brother is getting his netbook, a Hercules
eCafé EC-1000W (which he wants me to help him turn into a
dual-booter, with Win 7 Starter and Ubuntu 10.04 Netbook Remix).
For three, I'm going to push to get started on overhauling our Compaq
Presario into a home theater PC. Another reason is that, for as much as
I gripe about it, I sort of miss my paper route and the activity it
provides (though I'll probably have to take my car for a few days until
the sunburn on my shoulders heals). Probably most important is that our
cat, an 11-year-old Maine Coon-ish tabby, is waiting at home for our
return, and he loves us to bits when we come through the garage door
(which is the only time he pays attention to us, other than when he
wants fed).
I'm now on the Pismo, listening to the aforementioned Star Fox MP3
(which totally rocks, by the way).
Austin Leeds is a Mac and iPad user - and a college student in Iowa.
